Aldrian was perched at the top of a tree, where he could see the wall protecting a vast complex of buildings. The place was located far from any city, high on a hill and surrounded by dense forest. From his position, he could see the gate that led into the compound, and above it hung a plaque that read: Tang Family.
This was where the Tang main family resided, a place that, based on Aldrian’s observation, was just as he had imagined.
The surrounding forest contained many kinds of dangerous, poisonous vegetation and venomous beasts. Only a single road connected the gate to the nearest city, which was five thousand kiloters away. The forest also served as a natural defense against outside attacks and as a source of supplies, providing the Tang family with a wide variety of poisonous resources.
Aldrian decided to let himself be seen, he stepped down from the tree and walking down the road with a casual manner. The two guards standing at the gate, dressed in the green robes of the Tang family, looked at the approaching figure with wary expressions. When they saw his face, they felt he seed familiar, and before they could ask anything, Aldrian spoke first.
"Bring to your patriarch. Tell him Aldrian has sothing to say."
Hearing the na, the guards finally realized who he was and widened their eyes. This man was the one they referred to as the mysterious swordsman! No wonder he had felt familiar. But inwardly, they were confused. Why was he here? And why did he want to et the patriarch? They couldn’t recall any connection between their family and Aldrian.
But the two guards did not dare to make Aldrian wait or take his request lightly. One of them imdiately rushed inside, while the other remained to guard Aldrian. They waited for several minutes, which made the guard outside increasingly nervous. What was taking them so long? anwhile, Aldrian stood calmly, though his senses already aware of everything happening inside the family manor.
He could see many movents, hear their words, and understand their plan. It was quite amusing. Not long after, the gate opened again, and soone stepped out. It was an old man with a white beard, followed by several middle-aged n. The old man cupped his hands as he finally stopped in front of Aldrian.
"Welco to the Tang family, Your Excellency. I am Grand Elder Tang Rui. Your na is truly famous and has inspired many people. When I first heard that soone like you was coming, I thought it must have been a joke. But to think you’re actually here to visit us, this is truly a surprise."
"Well, there’s a reason for my visit to the famous Tang family of the Demon Territory. I hope you don’t mind my sudden arrival," Aldrian said calmly.
"Of course not, Your Excellency. This way, please. The patriarch needs to prepare himself before eting you, so we will escort you to the guest room. The patriarch will co to you shortly," Tang Rui said.
Aldrian just nodded, and they walked into the manor complex. There was nothing abnormal when Aldrian entered. Like many noble families in the Demon Territory, their manor complex did not display extravagant wealth like the other empires, except the Ivory Empire. The noble families here showed a sense of serenity, with many gardens and ponds. The buildings followed what they called an eastern style, reflecting the traditional values of the Demon Territory.
While they were walking toward the room, Tang Rui also explained a bit about the Tang family and its history. Aldrian let him speak, as it was a good chance to gain so knowledge. After they arrived, Aldrian was served a cup of tea while Tang Rui excused himself.
The beautiful scenery of the garden and pond made Aldrian nod in appreciation as he sipped his tea. Not long after, another man entered the room. He was a middle-aged man wearing a dark green robe, with long black hair. His aura leaked slightly, as if he wanted to show off that he was at the middle Emperor stage.
Aldrian just smiled at this inwardly as he heard the man greet him with a smile.
"Ah, welco to the Tang family, Your Excellency. Your visit truly cos as a surprise. I heard you wished to see . Forgive for not greeting you earlier—there was a situation that required my attention. I hope you understand," he said, cupping his hands.
Aldrian finally showed a smile to the man. He was the patriarch of the Tang family—Tang Zhen.
"No worries. As the patriarch, I’m sure you have matters that demand your attention. It’s understandable that you couldn’t greet right away," Aldrian said as he stood from his seat and returned the gesture.
Upon hearing Aldrian’s reply, Patriarch Tang felt that sothing about his tone seed off, but he couldn’t tell what it was, so he brushed the thought aside. After taking a seat, he looked at Aldrian.
"So, may I ask what business brings Your Excellency to ?" Patriarch Tang said. "I never imagined the famous mysterious swordsman would visit our Tang family. As far as I know, there’s nothing that connects you to us."
Aldrian smiled at him.
"Well, it’s nothing major. I simply have a few questions that I hope Patriarch Tang can answer," he said, then calmly took another sip of tea.
"If it’s sothing I can answer, I’ll gladly do so," Patriarch Tang replied, returning the smile.
"Alright, then I’ll be direct. I found sothing interesting when I visited Thorny Flower Garden and learning about the situation there. Do you know what happened, Patriarch?" Aldrian asked.
Patriarch Tang narrowed his eyes, as if sensing that sothing was wrong with Thorny Flower Garden.
"What happened to one of the three great sects? Nothing has happened, right? They’re one of the behemoths of the Demon Territory—one of the powers that control the largest portion of it," he said with certainty, his tone steady and without any sign of concern.
"Did sothing happen to them?" he asked, his expression now full of curiosity.
Aldrian continued to smile at him.
"You see, when I visited Thorny Flower Garden a few days ago, I discovered that Sect Master Baek had already been replaced by a grand elder nad Kwon Mira. And you know what the interesting part is?" Aldrian looked directly into Patriarch Tang’s eyes.
"I found out that Kwon Mira is having an affair with the sect master of the Beggar Sect. But what I learned from them was even more baffling—turns out, they’re traitors working with the devils. Do you know how shocked I was when I realized that?"
"You understand what that ans, don’t you, Patriarch?" Aldrian asked, still wearing his calm smile.
Hearing that, Patriarch Tang widened his eyes, as if in shock. But inside, his heart was filled with a different kind of shock—one mixed with fury. How could they have been caught by this man? He knew sothing had happened to Kwon Mira that led her to visit the Beggar Sect’s base, but she had never returned. And now Aldrian claid they were having an affair?
The bigger problem was how Aldrian had caught them—and even more concerning, how he knew they were all connected to the devils. How? Patriarch Tang knew well that Joon Suk would never yield, even under threats from this Aldrian. Had Kwon Mira told him everything?
Then, suddenly, sothing clicked inside Patriarch Tang’s mind. His heart tightened, a cold shiver running down his spine. He had been wondering how the locations of the devils across the demon territory had been compromised with such precision. At first, he had thought the issue might lie with the Beggar Sect. The ability to spread detailed information quickly was sothing they could easily accomplish.
However, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around it, as he knew Joon Suk would never betray them—he was too deeply involved in their cooperation with the devils. But it seed he could finally piece together the picture: the Beggar Sect was indeed the one spreading the rumors, and it might have been because of Aldrian!
If the information about the devils was already known, then it was safe to assu that the families and sects allied with the devils must already be known to this man—or even to the three great sects. No wonder the three great sects had suddenly announced their purging of the traitors and were gathering those who hadn’t worked with the devils.
"Is that true, your excellency? That is truly unfortunate! If it’s true, then I’m glad Kwon Mira was caught before she could cause further destruction. But what does this have to do with the Tang family, your excellency?" Patriarch Tang asked, his tone feigning ignorance.
"Patriarch Tang," Aldrian said, his expression turning calm. "Do you wish to continue feigning ignorance, or will you confess your sins?" he asked.
Seeing the change in Aldrian’s tone and expression, it was clear that he had already been discovered. Despite this, the patriarch didn’t panic. He maintained his calm deanor, eting Aldrian’s gaze with a composed expression.
"So, what do you want to do? Even if you know about my secret, I don’t think you can do anything to ," Patriarch Tang said, locking eyes with Aldrian.
"Is that so?" Aldrian replied, his face still calm. "Do you expect the poison in this tea to take effect?"
Patriarch Tang’s eyes widened slightly, a brief tremor flashing across his face.
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